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I have ran into a hand full of people on different forums talk about that the HCG diet should be followed with a low carb intake. 20 grams of carbs or less per day.

I wonder why that is? It appears that Dr. Simeon's never intended it to be a low carb or maybe he did and just did not write about it?

If that is the case, having the melba toast,
Apples
Oranges & other various veggies, sauces/condiments and sweetner would put you over the 20gram mark.

I understand what people are thinking, in order to stay in Ketosis which is fat burning mode you need to stay low carb something like the Atkins diet was, however on this particular diet I would think that we are mostly going by the types of FOOD and CALORIES instead of the CARBS?

I mean if you think about it your body can only burn so much fat per day and limiting your body to 500 calories should be sufficient on HCG for drastic weight loss. (You would think)

Maybe people feel there going to lose more by lowering the carbs?

What do you guys think about this?

I originally planned on cutting out the melba toast but bought some today in original and wheat flavor and plan on eating them as to follow the Dr. Simeon's protocol precisely.

Should I be conscious about my CARB intake or forget about it and just follow the original protocol?

Oh I forgot to mention that I did do the Atkins diet in the past and lost a lot of weight on it but MY PROBLEM was I wasn't happy with never having the foods I wanted to eat. I missed some of the carbs and sweet foods especially the fruits, and as you can imagine all the weight that I lost just about returned a few months after losing it when I decided to slack down and eat more carbs.

When I am finished with the HCG I want to be able to eat anything I want within reason of course I mean after all the Phase's and the entire HCG phase's are done. I want to be able to have my favorite chocolate cake replaced with healthy ingredients, I want to have all the good foods I loved but without gaining the weight back (Within reason of course).

Kinda like the movie "Cook yourself Thin" seen on TV.-)

So am I going to be disappointed in the end or will my metabolism be reset and I will have a lot more energy, be able to burn off more food in less time and get full quicker and feel satisfied with a full menu available?

Has anyone finished all phase's and started eating what they want again (Within reason of course) and kept it off forever?

I am hoping that the HCG is not a LOSE weight diet then GAIN it back eventually somehow one.

Do you have to work really hard to keep it all off for the rest of your life or do you basically eat everything you want to eat (Within reason) and keep it off forever thus curing your obese and weight gain problem forever like Dr. Tru claims.

I totally disagree with the low carb idea for P3. Nowhere in P3 does Dr. S say that we should limit our carbs to 20 or even 30. Some think that he meant to include fruit when he was saying no sugars, but I would love someone show me where in the P&I where he ever refers to a fruit as a sugar? Here is the reason for my strong feelings. I am normally very mild mannered, but following this concept of low carbs in P3 totally messed up my body. I was already carb sensitive before doing the hcg diet. I did my first round thru a clinic and was told that when I got to P3, to eat the same foods I had eaten in P2...with the exception of the melba toast since that was a starch. I was told to eat more of the P2 foods and to slowly add more low glycemic fruits and veggies. I did this and was able to handle bananas by the end of that P3. I did have problems in P4 with stabilizing due to the added starches and sugars, but that wasn't much of a surprise. When I started doing this diet on my own and joined another hcg site, I was told just what I heard here...limit the carbs to 20 grams in P3. I questioned that but was told by several veterans that Dr. S wanted us to not have fruit in P3 since it was a sugar. I thought that was garbage, but was such a newbie to the sites and to the P&I, that I just went along. I was also told that the reason I had problems in P4, was BECAUSE I had added those fruits in P3. Well, that kind of made sense...but then why didn't I gain in P3 after I ate fruit and increased veggie amounts? I did as I was 'told' in my R2P3 and P4 and was all over the place with my weight. I was told it was still due to the fact that I had that those carbs way back when and that I should reduce it even more! So, I did just that. I didn't even eat all the fruit and veggies I was allowed in P2 thinking this would really help me and also help the candida. Well what it did was create a real nightmare for me. When I got to P3, I didn't eat any fruit. I ate mostly fats and protein. One day I decided to eat a salad...plain lettuce...no dressing. Result??? Gained 3 lbs.! What the heck??? The same thing happened the next time I dared to eat a carb. This nightmare continued for 2 rounds before I finally got a clue and realized what I had done to myself. So despite all my good intentions and the good intentions of those who encouraged me to do this low carb thing, I had actually TRAINED my body to become MORE CARB SENSITIVE!!! So you can bet that stabilization was not happening once again....so frustrated. So now I am having to untrain my body about the carb sensitivity. I make sure I eat my 2 fruits and allowed veggies during P2. When it comes time for P3, I make sure I continue eating those 2 fruits and veggies on Day 1. I slowly add the other fruits and veggies back in. This last round, my 4th, was much better. I am not back to where I was in R1 yet. I could not eat bananas. I still cannot eat oranges at all in P2. I was able to in R1 though. So I have a ways to go still, but I am getting there. Whenever I see that info posted about limiting your carbs to a certain number in P3, I freak out! Sorry for the rant, but I think we have to be very careful what we post because the Newbies among us are thirsty for knowledge and soak up everything we say and often take it as protocol. To be fair, not everyone who has done the limitations on the carbs, have had the same reaction that I have, but I know of several who have.

About the same time I first read about people using ketostix
I had my first .5 lb day (after 2 & 1 lb losses)
AND a nasty head cold.
Impatient me latched onto Atkins and took off running
The next day I did not eat any fruits and
I researched the carbs in the approved veggys.
After 3 days, and not getting much better cold-wise
I realized my mistake.
I am not Dr. S
I want to follow the protocol exactly, at least this first round
I guess it's human nature to want to "improve" on a standard
especially when it involves my own, individual, idiosyncratic body
But it's hard to improve when I haven't given the original a chance.

The Thank You's are because I am carb sensitive too.
At 25 carbs a day those ketostix are just expensive toys.
You have confirmed for me, my first thoughts....
this is not an atkins site!
I am an old hat at atkins.
I could probably do that with my eyes closed.
But it's for weight loss,
not a new lifestyle
for me anyway.
So that's why I am here.
PERMANENT loss!

Thanks again
Donna

click on my screen name to see my progress so far

Always remember
YOU are LOVED!
Donna

Want to know my back story?
Read about my rounds & cycles in my blog on this forum
by clicking HERE.

Dr. Simeons' protocol does does not mention how many grams of carbs can be eaten in P3. It says:

"It takes about 3 weeks before the weight reached at the end of the treatment becomes stable, i.e. does not show violent fluctuations after an occasional excess. During this period patients must realize that the so-called carbohydrates, that is sugar, rice, bread, potatoes, pastries, etc, are by far the most dangerous. If no carbohydrates whatsoever are eaten, fats can be indulged in somewhat more liberally and even small quantities of alcohol, such as a glass of wine with meals, does no harm, but as soon as fats and starch are combined things are very liable to get out of hand. This has to be observed very carefully during the first 3 weeks after the treatment is ended otherwise disappointments are almost sure to occur."

The 20 gram rule must be one of the alternative versions of the protocol.

I ate fruit my whole P3. Mostly apples and grapefruit at first and then added back blueberries and more. The only carb limitations I followed using the 20 pet day rule were adkins bars, low carb wraps, and dream fields pasta. I did not add those things until after the first week. I was not carb sensitive before so I can't speak to that but I ate a ton of sushi with tons of white rice yesterday and had no gain today. I have also eaten pizza and breakfast sandwiches with no issues. I think you have to be smart about adding things back. I followed Bob's plan for re introducing foods and it worked for me.